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AstraZeneca

Global pharmaceutical company developing prescription medicines

Warehouse Specialist

Shipping & ReceivingUpdated on Nov 6
Full-timeTarzana, Los Angeles, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • A high school degree or associate degree is required.
  • Two to three years of relevant warehouse experience is required.
  • Maintain current training on standard operating procedures, Good Documentation Practices (GDP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), data integrity, biosafety, and cryogenic handling.
  • Demonstrate competency on the warehouse management system (WMS), enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and equipment; do not perform tasks without documented qualification.

Responsibilities

  • Maintain unbroken chain-of-identity and chain-of-custody linkage from patient or donor to product using unique identifiers, double-verifying IDs at receipt, storage, kitting, and shipment, and physically and systemically segregating materials by patient/protocol and material status.
  • At receipt, verify courier chain-of-custody forms, tamper seals, temperature traces, and documentation such as protocol and subject IDs and certificates of analysis or compliance for reagents and vectors; record receipt contemporaneously in validated WMS/ERP, quarantine materials, and notify Quality Assurance immediately.
  • Handle liquid nitrogen vapor-phase dewars and −80°C ultra-low freezers for patient materials and finished products, and 2–8°C and controlled-room-temperature storage for reagents and disposables; perform daily checks, respond to alarms, document and trend excursions using mapped, calibrated sensors under ALCOA+ principles.
  • Enforce first-expired, first-out controls for expiry-dated reagents and vectors; track retest dates and minimum remaining shelf-life rules, and coordinate with Quality Assurance as expiry or retest approaches.
  • Prepare materials for Quality Control sampling per standard operating procedures with appropriate gowning and environmental controls; maintain clean, controlled sampling areas and complete sample chain-of-custody and reconciliation to parent lots.
  • Build patient-specific kits for manufacturing runs, reconciling components and verifying labels and line clearance to prevent mix-ups; maintain kit genealogy records tied to patient/protocol and batch records.
  • Perform put-away, picking, and delivery to manufacturing suites accurately; verify lot, quantity, status, storage condition, and patient/protocol identifiers for every transaction and prevent unauthorized movement from quarantine.
  • Condition validated cryogenic dry shippers and controlled-room-temperature/2–8°C shippers per standard operating procedures, place calibrated data loggers, follow lane risk assessments and courier instructions for vein-to-vein timelines, and document pack-out and sign-offs.
  • Schedule time-definite pickups with specialty couriers and prepare contingency plans involving backup shippers, liquid nitrogen availability, and alternate routes; communicate in real time with Clinical Operations and Manufacturing, and quarantine returns until Quality Assurance disposition.
  • Contain and document temperature excursions, label mismatches, shipment delays, and damages; initiate deviations, participate in root-cause analysis, execute corrective and preventive action tasks, and follow approved change controls for process or equipment updates.
  • Use validated WMS/ERP/eQMS with role-based access and audit trails; complete records contemporaneously, legibly, and indelibly under ALCOA+ principles, avoid backdating and unofficial logs, and ensure chain-of-identity/custody traceability.
  • Perform routine checks of qualified storage with completed installation, operational, and performance qualification and current thermal mapping; escalate out-of-tolerance equipment, assist with calibration and maintenance scheduling, and record product impact assessments as directed.
  • Apply liquid nitrogen safety measures, including oxygen monitoring, ventilation, and personal protective equipment, and biosafety practices for human-derived materials; follow spill response, sharps handling, and waste segregation procedures, and promptly report incidents and near-misses.
  • Keep areas organized and records readily retrievable, and support internal and external FDA, EMA, and MHRA audits by presenting chain-of-identity controls, cold-chain validation evidence, and compliant documentation within the employee's training scope.
  • Coordinate with Quality Assurance and Quality Control for sampling and release, Manufacturing for schedule alignment, Clinical Operations for patient slots, and couriers for pickup and delivery; use tier meetings and clear escalation paths to protect timelines.
  • Contribute to quality-focused key performance indicators, including inventory accuracy by lot/patient, pick/issue accuracy above 99%, dock-to-quarantine time, Quality Assurance release turnaround, temperature excursion rate and trend, cryogenic shipper hold-time performance, and on-time/in-full delivery to manufacturing runs.
  • Propose Lean/5S improvements that preserve the validated state and verify changes through controlled documentation before adoption.

About the Company

AstraZeneca

Global pharmaceutical company developing prescription medicines

AstraZeneca develops and markets prescription medicines and vaccines worldwide, with a focus on oncology, cardiovascular/metabolic, respiratory, and infectious diseases. Its products work by targeting specific biological pathways or cells, using small-molecule therapies, biologics, and vaccines to treat diseases or prevent infections. It differentiates itself through its dual heritage from Sweden and the UK, a broad pipeline, and strong R&D and collaborations that move from discovery to patient access. Its goal is to improve people’s health by discovering, developing, and delivering medicines and vaccines to patients worldwide.

Company size
10,001+
Company stage
IPO
Headquarters
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Founded
1913

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